For many years I’ve been meaning to go see the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) en masse at Bull Run Regional Park in Manassas about this time of the year. I can now cross that excursion off my list! If you live in Northern Virginia (or thereabouts), there’s an annual Bull Run Bluebell Walk at 2:00 p.m. this Sunday, April 12.
As I mentioned in my earlier posting here, I wanted to avoid the crowds and certainly did. We encountered less than a dozen hikers and photographers on our hike down the Bluebell Trail.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of plants in bloom, though, and a bit hard to work around the plethora of trees, trunks, and fallen branches to get that stellar shot. Many of the landscape-with-Bluebell shots I got were more “record” shots than stellar. Michael found a plastic bag in the car (the ground was still quite damp), and we both hunkered down on the ground to get up close and personal with a few perfect specimens. Our positioning also allowed us to discover other plants in bloom: Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum) and Cutleaf Toothwarts (Dentaria laciniata, a member of the Mustard family, Brassicaceae). From a distance, Cutleaf Toothworts, whose beauty belies their nefarious-sounding name, look very similar to the ‘Spring Beauty’ wildflowers.
We also took along the Interfit 5 in 1 collapsible reflector (translucent portion only) to block the mid-day sun and get more saturated color. I’ve used the reflector in the studio and for outdoor portraits, but since I usually follow the rule of “shoot flowers in early a.m. or late p.m.,” I’ve never used it for this purpose. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before—I can now shoot flowers even in the worst light of day for flower photography—that mid-day sun!
While researching where best to photograph fields of Bluebells, I stumbled upon Chris Kayler’s posting about them here. Take a look at his Nature Photography Gallery. Chris, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, specializes in nature and wildlife photography, and lives in Manassas. Spectacular work, Chris!
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Cindy Dyer's Blog 
Thanks for the update on the bluebells at Bull Run. I’m hoping to get out there this weekend. I spent part of this afternoon photographing some of the bluebells at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda. They’ve got several patches — some with daffodils still blooming among the bluebells.
OK, thanks to you, I have added a new spot on my list of places to see. After college, I developed a love of Civil War history. This is a place I have wanted to visit anyway.
That 105 does a fabulous job but I love how you framed the photo.
If you and the family ever do make it up to this area, give me a holler! I’d be happy to play tour guide and point out the best places to photograph.
Thanks for the blog comments, by the way. I appreciate any and all!
My what a gorgeous photo! They are so pretty!
they almost look with crape paper, how intriguing
Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area in Nokesville is another great spot to view Virginia Bluebells. This coming Sunday, April 11, there’s a Bluebell Festival sponsored by the VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries, Marine Corps Base Quantico and the Prince William Conservation Alliance. Check PWCAs webpage at http://www.pwconserve.org for more info. Hope to see you there!